Law Firms' Amenities Forum

[tyrant_flycatcher]

got a career decision to make? lets make it based on the 8 pm vs 730 dinner policy. practicing attorneys should not respond to this madness.

I think some 2Ls just want more information on firms they've already accepted offers to.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I'm pretty sure they can ask HR/recruiting directly, then.

[Anastasia Dee Dualla]

What firm has a 401(k) match?

[Anonymous User]

Sidley (Chicago)

Location:
The Loop

Cafeteria:
Good selection; subsidized.

Gym:
We have a gym that has showers, etc.; in the office. I think it's Sidley only.

Insurance Info:
Decent, and there is a room to lay down in if you have a headache.

401k match: Lol. No

Cab home:
Free after 8:00? Maybe 7:30.

Free dinners:
Up to $35 after billing 8 hours (or as deemed reasonable)

Free lunches:
During the summers, up to (no idea) per person if both summer associates and associates are present (no limit with partners present) on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; coffee with summers' is also reimbursable.

Other: Stand up desk, the tech gear, typical phone reimbursement.

[raptors_delight]

Cravath, Swaine & Moore

Location: Midtown, Hell's Kitchen. Easy access to CE, 1, and NQR trains.
Cafeteria: Heavily subsidized cafeteria with a diverse menu. Cravath's, DPW's, and Skadden's (and possibly other firms') cafeterias are all managed by the same company, so the food you'll get at any of those firms will be pretty much the same.
Gym: Subsidized memberships at NYSC and Equinox. There's an Equinox location right around the corner.
Childcare: On-site "backup" childcare. New parents who are returning to work can use the on-site service as regular daycare for the first few months, but then are expected to find regular outside childcare (i.e., a babysitter/nanny or daycare) and use the on-site childcare only as a solution when the child's regular arrangement is unavailable.
Meal policy: $30 Seamless or cafeteria budget after 7:00 PM. I think there's technically an expectation that a certain number of hours will have been billed throughout the day, but I don't know that it's ever enforced. Associates can order food and have it delivered earlier in the evening as long as they expect to (and actually do) stay past 7:00. Liberal meal policy for weekend work, as well, but I'm not sure about the specifics.
Car policy: Free black car or cab after 8:00 PM. I believe the same applies to travel to and from the office on weekends.
Shared offices: First-years and (most) second-years share offices.
401(k) matching: No.
Private banking: Yes, with JP Morgan.
Summer lunches: $70 budget twice per week (no more than two associates to every summer present). No limit on the number of lunches or budget if partners take the group out.
Other: Free coffee / hot chocolate / tea on each floor. Free Starbucks coffee in the cafeteria. Espresso machines with automatic latte and cappuccino makers on (about) every other floor and in the cafeteria. Tons of resources available in terms of research assistance, document processing, secretarial assistance, etc. Building is (in my opinion), nicer than DPW's, comparable to Skadden's, and less attractive than S&C's.

[Anonymous User]

Cravath, Swaine & Moore
Building is (in my opinion), nicer than DPW's, comparable to Skadden's, and less attractive than S&C's.

I agree but the green carpets need to go

[sesto elemento]

got a career decision to make? lets make it based on the 8 pm vs 730 dinner policy. practicing attorneys should not respond to this madness.

Agreed. Seamless is a form of slavery.

But masta gives me da bread at 6:30!

[RedGiant]

Um, for those of you that think having a gym in the building is AWESOMENESS, please consider whether you want to see your colleagues in workout wear, sweaty, lifting weights with poor form. This is not a perk. Being able to go to the gym elsewhere to hide is a perk. Think hard about that.

Also, honestly, very little of this matters. It's nice, but not the be-all, end-all. Promise.

Go somewhere that you like the people. That matters way more than car service or a private banking relationship.

Also, for the person that talked about private banking relationships, LOLS. I promise you the same guy that runs >$25MM books for clients is not the same junior schmuck that they give to newly-minted biglaw associates who have negative balance sheets. Same office, different person.

[Anonymous User]

A lot of firms 401(k) match for staff, but I have rarely heard of a firm that matches for associates.

[RedGiant]

Curious about Bay Area DPW, Skadden, STB, W/C/F/G

WSGR is cheap. Like very cheap. They force you to eat their terrible cafeteria food at night (the cafe is awesome during the day, but I have had such lovely meals as hot dogs...seriously!) and they always have the same three salads. Dessert is usually pretty bomb, but, you can't have it all the time or you'll gain the first-year forty.

WSGR Palo Alto used to have a really small onsite gym, but they remodeled and rejiggered their extra building since I left, so not sure if that's still there. There's a very nice Equinox about .2 miles away though, and that's where most people go to ogle Tim Cook and the Franco brothers (true story). Also, WSGR Christmas party is always geared toward children, so it's light on booze and fancy, and high on petting zoos and fake ice rinks. Impressive, nonetheless, but not the black tie soiree you'd see at a NY firm.

I would not join WSGR if you're looking for perks. It's not like that. Most Bay Area firms belt-tightened in 2009 and then never really loosened after that.

[tyrant_flycatcher]

I'm pretty sure they can ask HR/recruiting directly, then.

Yes, clearly. But if there are associates who want to provide that information, I don't see what the problem is. And this way, we can see how the firm we accepted an offer to compares to other firms. For the record, I haven't requested that anyone "report on" my firm. I do find this interesting to read, however.

[A. Nony Mouse]

No, there's no problem with asking here, it just seems there are more efficient ways to get the information.

[MCFC]

No, there's no problem with asking here, it just seems there are more efficient ways to get the information.

Ehhh. Some of the stuff in this thread, while not earth shaking, is stuff you wouldn't hear from recruiting.

[A. Nony Mouse]

No, there's no problem with asking here, it just seems there are more efficient ways to get the information.

Ehhh. Some of the stuff in this thread, while not earth shaking, is stuff you wouldn't hear from recruiting.

Like what?

[Anonymous User]

What firm has a 401(k) match?

Mine does 4%.

[MCFC]

No, there's no problem with asking here, it just seems there are more efficient ways to get the information.

Ehhh. Some of the stuff in this thread, while not earth shaking, is stuff you wouldn't hear from recruiting.

Like what?

Literally 2 posts above yours is a post ripping on the food at a firm's cafeteria.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Pretty sure recruiting can tell you what the cafeteria offers.

[MCFC]

"We are very cheap and serve horrible food like hot dogs at night" does not strike me as something that would come from recruiting.

Ymmv though!

[Anonymous User]

Curious about Bay Area DPW, Skadden, STB, W/C/F/G

WSGR is cheap. Like very cheap. They force you to eat their terrible cafeteria food at night (the cafe is awesome during the day, but I have had such lovely meals as hot dogs...seriously!) and they always have the same three salads. Dessert is usually pretty bomb, but, you can't have it all the time or you'll gain the first-year forty.

WSGR Palo Alto used to have a really small onsite gym, but they remodeled and rejiggered their extra building since I left, so not sure if that's still there. There's a very nice Equinox about .2 miles away though, and that's where most people go to ogle Tim Cook and the Franco brothers (true story). Also, WSGR Christmas party is always geared toward children, so it's light on booze and fancy, and high on petting zoos and fake ice rinks. Impressive, nonetheless, but not the black tie soiree you'd see at a NY firm.

I would not join WSGR if you're looking for perks. It's not like that. Most Bay Area firms belt-tightened in 2009 and then never really loosened after that.

One of the most helpful posts in this thread. Definitely didn't hear this from Recruiting, who was raving about how awesome the cafeteria food is.

[Anonymous User]

Fenwick gives paid airfare for two and a condo for a week in Hawaii

Fenwick associate here. Love this perk.

Dumb question, but does the firm have sufficient units to accommodate all associates?

Also how is Fenwick's "typical" perks - dinner reimbursement, gym, etc. Is there an "industry standard" in the Bay Area?

You can generally go once a year as an associate. As a more junior associate (1-2 years), you usually don't get to reserve far in advance like more senior folks, but can snag cancellations if you can be flexible. Priority is based on start date (NOT seniority), so a 3rd year home grown associate has priority over a 7th year lateral, for example.

I found the other perks very good and easy to understand/use. There is a gym in Mountain View, but I don't work in that office, so I get a $300 a year fitness reimbursement to use as I wish. If you work later into the evening, you get dinner, and there is no hard cut-off time for being able to order. If you work more than 250 a month, you get a $250 certificate to use for a nice dinner (not something I aim for...). Getting reimbursed for things is generally very easy, and I never had a problem even with large expense reports, but I never really did anything questionable either.

[dixiecupdrinking]

What firm has a 401(k) match?

Mine does 4%.

What firm?

[cookiejar1]

Do you think the strong WSGR distaste is partly due to the fact that silicon valley perks are among the best of any industry? If I compared my firms' offerings (described in this thread as top notch) with what I've seen at Google or Linkedin . . .

[Desert Fox]

[5ky]

The dinner thing is probably because tech clients are the cheapest motherfucker clients in the world. I bet none of their clients are paying for associate dinners, so they make you eat at their shitty cafeteria.

I didn't even realize that most firms had cafeterias. My office doesn't have one. I gotta foodtruck it up.

If you're on a matter that doesnt let you bill dinners to it, the firm probably just eats it. we have a matter number to use on seamless for overtime meals if you arent billing it to one specific matter

[Desert Fox]